Gadgets

A GPS Device Designed Specifically For Pirates (and Other Sailing Types)

GPS devices designed for land-lubbers work just fine on an engine-powered boat that can head straight across the water. But for sailboats who have to zig-zag—or tack— to catch the wind, The Sailing GPS is better suited as it understands that the quickest route from point A to B isn’t always a straight line. Your…

Watching 23 Feet Of Bubble Wrap Crushed In a Hydraulic Press Is Incredibly Satisfying

Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer from the addiction of popping bubble wrap? Do you have to ensure that every last pocket of air is destroyed before you can return to your regular routine? https://gizmodo.com/a-tie-with-bubble-wrap-is-the-perfect-time-killer-5765631 If this sounds like you, then this video of almost 38 square feet of bubble wrap…

Prize-Winning Concept Could Bring Vending Machines To New York Taxis

As the big apple begins to slowly roll out its fancy new fleet of taxi cabs, a contest held by the New York Economic Development Corporation could one day see them further improved with sundry-dispensing vending machines. Business students Brian Shimmerlik and Tomas Grosskopf won the NY EDC’s ‘NYC Next Idea’ competition with their idea…

Miracle Worker Glove Helps Deaf and Blind People Communicate

It would have been much easier for Anne Sullivan to get Helen Keller to spell out “water” with this innovative mitten. The Mobile Lorm Glove allows people who are deaf and blind to communicate by transmitting tactile signals to their hands. It uses something called the Lorm Alphabet, a hand-touch sign language that assigns characters…

Sleek Fin Lights Wear Their Guts on the Outside

Created by British industrial designer Tom Dixon, these Fin Lights are a perfect example of form following function. The items that would usually be the lamp’s hidden innards are sleek and beautiful, displayed on the outside, giving the appliance its handsome look. With slots cut into the bottom, the shade serves a couple of purposes,…

The Motorcycles That Died For These Lamps Made a Beautiful Sacrifice

We usually cringe when we see a lovely piece of hardware that’s been cannibalized for the sake of another device. But that’s not the case with Classified Moto’s lovely lamps which are only made from spare motorcycle parts. https://gizmodo.com/these-vintage-cameras-died-so-your-iphone-could-have-a-5897140 In other words, no motorcycles died in the making of these lamps. Using parts specifically from…

This Cutting-Edge Simulator Is How North Korea Trains the Farmers of the Future

Somehow North Korea has been unfairly stereotyped as a nation that’s behind the times—unwilling to adopt new technologies that could improve the country. But as this image clearly illustrates, that’s simply not the case. This student, presumably studying farming at the Samjiyon Schoolchildren’s Palace in Samjiyon, North Korea, hones his plowing prowess on one of…

Hanging Chandelier Blossoms Like an Inverted Flower

You don’t often think of a large decorative chandelier as being a bona-fide gadget. But the hanging veins on Denise Hachinger’s Kronleuchter—or crown light—raise and lower at your beckoning to focus the light or cast an ambient glow in the room. The clear veins are illuminated with a thin light source along their edge, using…

Camera Projectors Finally Find a Useful Application

In what could be a far more useful application for projector-equipped cameras, researchers at Osaka University have created a prototype that projects a white border to show exactly what’s in frame. Kind of like a laser scope for taking photos. The ClippingLight camera also incorporates a gyro and motion sensor so the size of the…

Does This Sleek Aluminum Capsule Tobacco Pipe Make Smoking Look Cool?

Smoking is awful—it stinks, it screws up your lungs and it litters the streets of any city. This tobacco pipe, Armilon Capsule, doesn’t help with the first two issues but does solve the trash problem and plus, it looks freaking sweet. The Armilon Capsule isn’t your grandpa’s tobacco pipe though. It looks more like a…

Do You Care How Ugly the Google Glasses Are?

The internet, it is divided! Some people are disgusted by the Google Glass look—it is pretty goddamn nerdy. On the other hand, if it actually works as well as that snazzy demo video, does it even matter? https://gizmodo.com/google-glasses-first-look-would-you-wear-these-augment-5899091 Yes and no! Presumably, Google’s computer glasses will have to look at least not-stupid enough for you…

Sodastream Refreshes With Sleek New Look

The Sodastream not only reduces waste, but saves your arms the stress of lugging multiple jugs of sparkling water home from the grocery store each week. There is one area, though, where the home soda-making gadget is not helping things, and that is how it looks in your kitchen. The thing is just kinda awkward…

Withings Smart Baby Monitor Review: Always Watching, Always Judging

Babies are helpless. They need things, like food and shelter and comfort, and you have to give these things to your baby unless you are a horrible person. Babies often need things in the night, or upon waking up from naps. And of course, for new parents, SIDS is a concern, or should be. So…

Waking Up To Braun’s Beautiful New Alarm Clock Would Make Mornings Tolerable

Thanks to Dieter Rams, Braun’s classic travel alarm clock is still considered an icon of design. And while the company’s newest digital alarm clocks might not be as revered one day, they’re still a beautiful object to wake up too. https://gizmodo.com/a-peek-inside-the-mind-of-dieter-rams-5599893 The $100 Braun BNC010 features a snazzy reverse LCD display that best suits the…

Phantom Miro M320S High-Speed Camera Brings Your World to a Standstill

Slow-motion enthusiasts everywhere have a brand new toy. Phantom, the line of cameras that titillates our eyes and taunts our bank accounts, has outed the tiny Phantom Miro M32S. It records at an astonishing 1540 fps at full 1080p HD, and the frame rate only goes up from there at reduced resolutions. Better still, it…

Ultra Tiny Earbuds Let You Hear More Than Just Your Music

Earbud style headphones let you enjoy your music without the distraction of what’s going on around you. But for safety’s sake sometimes hearing distractions, like a honking horn, isn’t a bad thing. So the earHeros use a compact design that doesn’t completely block your ears. Each tiny speaker sits inside your ear canal, using a…

Nokia Lumia 900 Review: This Might Save Windows Phone (Updated)

The Lumia 800 was one of the most beautiful phones ever built in the long history of phone-building. It is widely acknowledged as the best Windows phone around. The next version, the Lumia 900, is bigger, faster, and—maybe most surprisingly—cheaper. https://gizmodo.com/nokia-lumia-800-lightning-review-the-unattainable-fore-5857409 The Lumia 900 is a phone that every single person should consider owning. Update:…

Lumia 900 Gallery

Do Crowbars Really Need Hinges?

The Hultafors 209 adjustable wrecking bar features a nine-point articulated claw, a rubberized grip, and claims to optimize the everyman’s nail-pulling experience. But does the crowbar design require improvement? The 209’s curved claw is set on a hinge and locked in place with a screw gear, which reportedly allows it to withstand the same forces…

Ride This Stealth Bike Wherever You Want Without Being Seen

So it might not be the best idea to try and pedal your way onto a secure military base, but engineer Brano Meres’ experimental X-9 Nighthawk bike frame looks like it would be as invisible to radar as the old F-117 stealth fighter was. Like anything supremely awesome, the X-9 Nighthawk is made with a…